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Top Places to Buy Cheap Souvenirs and Pasalubong in Kuala Lumpur

It has been our culture as Filipinos to buy souvenirs and pasalubong to our friends and loved ones every time we travel, whether it is a leisure or business trip. The usual things we buy are t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, key chains and food items not available here in our country. We always allot certain budget for souvenirs and pasalubong to bring home with us. Others buy souvenir items in addition to their growing souvenir collection and as a reminder of their travel experiences. Because of this, top places to buy souvenir items and pasalubong are always included in our itinerary.

Luckily, Kuala Lumpur is a country with so many things to offer. The good thing about traveling in Kuala Lumpur is that cheap pasalubong and souvenir items are available especially to those who travel on a budget.

There are famous places to buy souvenir items in KL. The first two are famous, and the third one – I am pretty sure you probably never heard of, but you will eventually if you read until the end of this post.

Here are the three best places to buy cheap souvenirs and pasalubong in Kuala Lumpur.

Central Market

Central Market is like our very own Greenhills. It is an air-conditioned building with various stalls inside. If you want to shop comfortably minus the heat that you will most likely feel when strolling outside, this is the place for you. Central Market offers different products such as souvenir items, toys, display figurines, scarves and many more.

How to Get There:
1. From KL Sentral station, ride the LRT then alight at Pasar Seni station.

In Central Market. there is this stall that sells sand arts in a bottle. Very creative!

When you are done buying souvenirs and pasalubong inside, exit the building and you will still find stalls selling various products and food items.

Chinatown

Chinatown or Petaling Street is a place for you if you love bargains and you like haggling. There are lots of stalls that sell shoes, different types of bags, t-shirts, and souvenir items in Chinatown. Some items are not original, though. If Central Market is like Greenhills, Chinatown is comparable to Divisoria.

When you are in Chinatown, practice your haggling skills and don’t just settle into one stall. There are a lot of stalls around selling the same product. If one stall does not agree to a cheaper price, go find another stall which will agree to the price you are willing to pay.

How to Get There: (4 options to choose from)1. From Central Market, Chinatown is just a 5-minute walk.
2. From KL Central, ride the LRT (Kelan Jaya Line) and alight at Pasar Seni Station. Chinatown is just a short walk from the train station.
3. Ride the FREE tourist bus. The GO-KL bus stops at major tourist attractions in KL’s central business district including Chinatown. Choose the purple line and enjoy your free bus ride experience.
4. Ride the taxi and tell the driver that you are going to Petaling Street.

This is the stall where we bought most of our souvenir items such as keychains, display souvenirs, and refrigerator magnets.

Like I said, this place is like our very own Divisoria. There are too many people (mostly tourists and locals) and the place gets too hot and uncomfortable due to the crowd. Tip: Keep an eye on your belongings all the time.

Aside from being a place for bargain shopping, I have read that Chinatown is also a foodie haven. However,we never get the chance to buy any food there. Hopefully on our next visit, we can schedule our family food trip in Chinatown and taste authentic Malaysian dishes.

Giant Grocery, Sungei Wang Plaza

If you are anywhere near Bukit Bintang, consider yourself lucky because this secret pasalubong haven is strategically located in the heart of Bukit Bintang, near the train station. Among all the best places to buy pasalubong, Giant Grocery is probably the least heard of. Although not as famous as Chinatown and Central Market, this place has so much to offer for pasalubong shoppers.

Giant has reasonably priced grocery items. If you are lucky, you will find items with discounts and further price reduction if they are included in their promotional items. When we went there, we spent around 3 hours inside Giant choosing items to buy. Good thing, Giant is just walking distance from our hotel.

For your reference, here are some pasalubong items that you can find in Giant:
– Assorted chocolates and sweets
-Cadbury chocolates in different variants (some are even not available here in PH). Cadbury chocolates are much cheaper in KL because those are manufactured there.
-Old Town Coffee in different variants but the Hazelnut flavor is very famous. Old Town Milk Tea is also a must buy.

Here’s what we bought in Kuala Lumpur. Assorted chocolates and coffee are from Giant except Beryl’s which we bought at the airport. Souvenirs are from Chinatown and Central Market.

When in KL, be sure to plan your trip accordingly and drop by to this places to shop for souvenir items and pasalubong.
Happy shopping!

Comments: 14

Hi, if my memory serves me right, the Old Town Coffee were priced at less than 15 Malaysian Ringgit (depending on the flavor) per pack. Chocolates varies depending on the brand. Cadburry chocolates around 5-10 Malaysian Ringgit depending on the flavor and pack size. We went there November 2015, so there might be some slight differences on their current prices. Hope this helps po. 🙂

Thanks for the insight of KL. If you ever coming here again, I can take you to some other places of interests around KL. I visited Manila in July 2017 and love the moment there. Anyhow, what is “pasalubong”? Kindly contact me thru my gmail if you plan coming again.

Hi Azlan,
Pasalubong is the term used for the gifts and souvenirs that we buy for our friends, co-workers and loved ones. It is actually a Filipino tradition. Good to know you enjoyed your stay in Manila. We also enjoyed our KL vacation, actually, it has become my family’s favorite destination. I would love to revisit KL. Thanks for the offer and thank you for reading. 🙂
Min

Hello Min.
Thank you for sharing where to buy pasalubong. By the way, you have mentioned that you bought Beryl’s chocolate in the airport, why not in Giant? (or there is no Beryl’s Chocolate in Giant Mall)?
Again Thanks..

Hi Neil, I’m sorry I can’t really remember if there are Beryl’s chocolate in Giant Grocery. However, I have read that they have an outlet in Sungei Wang – where Giant grocery is located, so you can buy there na. Here’s the address: Lot KG-3, Ground Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza,Jalan Bukit Bintang.
Hope this helps 🙂